The Depth of Loyalty
by EternalDreamLand
Summary: Hanabusa Aido lived by a code of honor, and with his nobility blood he had sworn to protect Kaname Kuran through life, death, and even betrayal. But when everything is thrown into chaos, just how much is he willing to take before the breaking point?


**Disclaimer:**This story contains spoilers from the latest chapter of the manga. PLEASE DO NOT READ if you don't follow the manga. This chapter takes place inside Cross Academy after the Night Class has been re-established.

Chapter 1

Hanabusa Aido stared into the dark night, pondering. Where was Kaname-sama now? What was he doing? Why did he confide in his cousins—Akatsuki and Ruka – and not in him? Thousands of questions raced across his mind, yet he had answers to none of them.

The blonde cast a downward gaze before finally snapping his eyes shut. He had to keep on believing and trusting in Kaname-sama. He couldn't afford to have doubts now. Nearly 15 years had passed since the two of them had first met. In his own cold and distant ways, the pure-blood had proved himself to be kind and trustworthy to the people whom he had claimed to be only pawns in his game.

"Why do you torture yourself?" A foreign voice spoke from within the darkness of the shadows.

The blonde snapped his head back, his muscles tense, ready to defend himself against the intruder.

As the person emerged from the shadows, the face of a vampire girl came into view. Aido quickly recognized her to be someone from the night class, but not someone who he knew by name.

"I don't mean you any harm, Aido-kun." The dark-haired girl said coolly, noticing his guarded stance and tense features. "I know this is not my place to say anything, but why do you do this to yourself?"

"What are you talking about?" He narrowed his eyes. He was unwilling to lower his guard against a stranger.

"Why do you keep on believing in the person who had thrown the whole vampire world into a state of chaos—the pure-blood who murders other pure-bloods?" Her voice was dark when she said this. He could easily see the poorly concealed anger flashing inside her crystal blue orbs.

Her words themselves had already angered him, but her tone infuriated him even further. This vampire had no right to utter these words against Kaname-sama, especially not in front of him.

"How dare you speak these words against the highest vampire in our world." His tone was venomous when he spoke. "How dare you make these accusations without any evidence!" His voice grew even louder.

"Pure-bloods are dying. Innocents are dying. Someone is killing them." She spoke every syllable with emphasis, nearly spitting the words out.

Before Aido could throw anything back in retort, she continued, "Only pure-bloods can kill pure-bloods. He's the biggest suspect, and he has made no effort to clear his name."

"Why should the innocent have to defend himself?" He shouted back angrily.

She was quiet for a moment before whispering in a voice so cold that it could cut the crisp thin air, "Are you saying he was not the one who had killed your father?"

Aido's eyes widened in horror. He was speechless. Indeed it had been Kaname who had killed his father. He himself had witnessed the incident… yet he had tried so hard to block that tragic account from his memory. He could feel his resolve wavering. "I— I—" he stuttered.

The dark-haired vampire looked almost sad when she spoke next, "Trust and loyalty are essential for our existence. But to blindly and foolishly believe in someone who has done nothing but hurt you… that's the story of every person who has ever been betrayed."

He could feel a daunting heaviness inside his heart as his vision started to blur. Had he been a foolish idiot all along?

Then slowly he started to remember the words he had uttered so long ago.

_He's an important person to me, so it's okay even if I am betrayed. _

Unknowingly, he had whispered these very words under his breath.

_You are an idiot. _Her face seems to tell him, yet she said nothing.

When she spoke at last, her voice was soft, "Remember this, Aido-kun. A true relationship is a two-way street. Words like 'I'll die for him' might seen heroic, but how sad an existence would it be for you to die for someone who would not do the same for you?"

"That's absurd!" He burst out. "Why would someone like Kaname-sama risk his life for me?"

"I know a pure blood who would die for her subordinates. That's how true loyalty is created." She looked almost sorry for him, "Think about what I said tonight, Aido-kun. And I'm sorry for overstepping my boundaries. I just thought that you deserve more. You deserve to be happy rather than chasing after the shadows of someone who will not wait for you."

With those words, she disappeared back into the shadows, leaving the blonde alone in the dark chilly night.

* * *

><p>When morning came, Aido was even more confused than the night before. Beams of light shone through the closed curtains as the blonde used his wrist to block the rays from his eyes. He turned his gaze to the intricate pattern on the ceiling as messy mops of hair fell across his eyes.<p>

Who was that girl the night before and what did she want?

Unknowingly, Aido could feel something inside him change. His resolve was starting to waver—maybe Kaname-sama was not so innocent after all. Just what on earth is happening?


End file.
